Tie plate



Oct 19,1926. 1,603,430 D. L.- VAUGHAN ET AL TIE PLATE Filed May 7. 1926 Fr F? J Patented Get. 19, 1926.

TET FFlCfE.

DAVID L. VAUGHAN, OF RIVEBION, NEW JERSEY, AND JOSEPH H. GUMBES. OF

MERION, PENNSYLVANIA.

TIE PLATE.

Application filed. May 7, 1926. Serial No. 107,341.

This invention relates to in'iprovements in tie plates for supporting railroad rails upon underlying cross ties.

The object of the invention is to provide a tie plate of novel construction whose bottom surface is of a configuration which will not only afford a proper bearing for the plate upon the cross tie but which will also prevent the edge portions of the plate from cutting or breaking the fibers of the tie when the part thereof supporting the plate is tilted either transversely or longitudinally relatively to the plate by warping or otherwise or when the plate is tilted either transversely or longitudinally relatively to the tie by the rail resting upon the plate, under the influence of the rolling stock passing over the rail or under other influences, or when a change in the normal relation of the plate and the tie is effected by the resultant of a change in position by tilting of both the plate and the tie either transversely or longitudinally or both transversely and longitudinally of the rail.

With the foregoing object in view the invention resides in the novel configuration of the bottom surface of our improved tie plate as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a top view of our improved tie plate, a portion of a cross tie supporting the same and a railroad rail resting upon the plate, the plate being shown by full lines and the tie and rail being shown by dot-anddash lines.

Figure 2 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, as seen from the left hand side thereof.

Figure 3 is a side view of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as seen from the right hand side of Fig. 2.

Figures 4;, 5 and 6 are sections through the tie plate on lines 47- 1, 55 and 66, respectively of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the tie plate, 3 a cross tie supporting the plate, and 7 a railroad rail supported by the plate.

The tie plate 2 is made of suitable metal, preferably a steel forging, and it is of rectangular form as shown in Fig. 1.

The top of the tie plate 2 is made flat to receive the base 8 of the rail 7. The plate 2 is provided with the usual, upwardly projecting rib 9 to receive the lateral thrust of the rail base 8, and it is also provided with the usual spike holes 10, 11 and 12 for the reception of the usual spikes (not shown) which are driven through the tie plate 2 and into the cross tie S to hold the parts together.

The bottom surface of the tie plate 2 rises continuously from the region of its center 13 to its longitudinal edge portions 14 and also to its transverse edge portions 15. To accomplish this, the entire bottom surface of the plate is preferably made continuously curved and of convex configuration, as clearly shown in the drawings, so that it has an upward tendency which is continuous in all directions on curved lines which rise from the region of its center 13 to its surrounding edge 14 and 15.

The central portion of the bottom surface of the tie plate 2 resting upon the tie 3, holds the surrounding edge portion of the plate in such spaced relation to the tie that the edge portion of the plate will eithernot contact with the tie at all or bear thereon with little pressure under all ordinary relative tilting displacement between the plate and the tie I which occurs when the tie plate is in service. Therefore, it will be understood that the configuration of the bottom surface of the plate will, first, prevent the longitudinal edge portions 14 of the plate 2 from cutting into the tie 3 under the longitudinal rocking action of the rail or the lateral tilting of that portion of the tie which supports the plate, or both; second, prevent the transverse edge portions 15 of the plate 2 from cutting into the tie 3 under the lateral rocking or tilting action of the rail 7 or the longitudinal tilting of that portion of the tie which supports the plate, or both; and, third, prevent any edge portion of the plate 2 from cutting into the tie, due to a relative tilting displacement between the plate and tie in any direction caused by a change in position of either the tie or the plate or both of them. Further, it will be understood that downward pres sure upon the plate 2 will cause the bot-tom surface thereof to embed itself in the tie and thereby compress the fibers of the tie without breaking them.

By entirely eliminating the cutting or breaking of the fibers of the tie or reducing the same to a minimum, by the employment of our improved tie plate, hereinbefore described, the efficiency of the tie is not only increased but its life is greatly lengthened, because, when the fibers are broken or cut by the edge of the plate, water readily finds its way into the body of the tie through its out or broken fibers, causing the tie to rot and deteriorate.

We claim as our invention:

1. A tie plate having its bottom surface rising on curved lines from the region of its center to opposite edge portions of the plate.

2. A tie plate having its bottom surface rising in all directions from the region of its center to its surrounding edge.

3. A tie plate of substantially rectangular form, having longitudinal and transverse edge portions and having its bottom surface rising from the central portion thereof to the longitudinal edge portions thereof.

a. A tie plate of substantially rectangular form, having longitudinal and transverse edge portions and having its bottom surface 20 continuously rising from the central portion thereof to the transverse edge portions thereof.

5. A tie plate having a bottom surface of convex configuration extending continuously between opposite edge portions thereof.

6. A tie plate having a bottom surface of convex configuration extending continuously between all opposite portions of its surrounding edge.

7 A tie plate provided with a curved bottom surface having an upward tendency Which is continuous from the central portion thereof to opposite edge portions thereof.

8. A tie plate provided with a curved bottom surface having an upward tendency which is continuous in all directions from the region of its center to its surrounding edge.

DAVID L. VAUGHAN. JOSEPH H. GUMBES. 

